Wedding Photos of Sunshine

The following “Sunshine” images were created by documentary wedding photographers from the WPJA, who regularly submit their best candid moments, artistic portraits, details, and scene setters for review by our WPJA competition judges.

WEDDINGS + ELOPEMENTS + ARTISTIC PORTRAITS & DETAILS + ENGAGEMENT SESSIONS

Some of the “Sunshine” marriage photography samples below may have come from the getting ready events, the actual wedding ceremony, the reception after-party, an engagement session with the couple, or possibly be artistic portraits or detail shots.

FINE ART WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHY: Our Artistic Guild award winners take a more creative approach to wedding day Portraits and use their innovative skills to capture the Details of each couple’s special day. The Artistic Guild’s Scene Setters are some of the most notable and breathtaking from within the artistic WPJA contest categories. Playing with light and shadow, special effects, and post-production editing, these images embrace the artistic component of wedding photography.

PRE-WEDDING ENGAGEMENT PHOTOGRAPHY: The story of every couple starts long before the wedding day, and the engagement marks one of the most important milestones in their story. Engaged couples often want to celebrate the occasion and announce their upcoming wedding with a photoshoot. Pre-wedding portraits of an engaged couple can be just as moving and compelling as the images taken on the wedding day. Engagement portraits can win a Diamond Award, an exclusive WPJA award whose winner is selected from the best engagement photography in the world.

chicago lincoln park beach couple during a pre-wed engagement photo session

Sutro Baths. Lands End. San Francisco, California couple portrait shoot at the very edge of a continent where San Francisco meets the Pacific Ocean are the Sutro Baths

sunset water sunlight warm light sunshine San Francisco

Taft Point adventure engagement session in Yosemite National Park

mountains sunshine lens flare sunlight Taft Point Yosemite National Park rocks

Sintra, Lisboa, Portugal Indian couple enjoying the mystical spot in Sintra during a pre-wed photo shoot

Sintra e session Portugal silhouette light sunshine Lisboa Sintra

Graça, Lisbon Couple taking the last sun rays available in the wonderful sunset during a pre-wed engagement photo shoot

Graça warm light Lisbon contrast creative portrait afternoon

Charles River Engagement Session with couple dancing at sunset on the dock by the water

dancing sunshine afternoon sunset water beach shore

Isabela, Puerto Rico Engagement photographer "We saw how the light created a LOCATION ICON, so we added a light for subjects and created this." in Tunel Guajataca

shadows Isabela archway light Puerto Rico couple image Puerto Rico sunshine

Lincoln Park Zoo pre-wed image session with some warm Cuddling at Sunset

afternoon IL sun flare lens flare sunlight sunshine Edward Ciesielski

Fort Collins, CO artistic wedding photo of the Bride and groom sharing a minute together after their ceremony in the foothills

sunset CO wedding photo Fort Collins clouds foothills bride and groom

IT engagement photoshoot & pre-wedding session of a Rome, Italy couple with sun flares

sunshine sunlight sun flare Italy lens flares Rome Nilufer Nalbantoglu

Lago del Predil, Udine, Italy pre-wedding photo session with an engaged couple doing some Sunset walking

sand afternoon waves Udine sun flare shore

FR pre wedding and engagement photography at sunset below the cliffs of Marseille France

sunlight lens flare cliffs Marseille sun flare France

Australia engagement portrait with a posed couple showing a beautiful Perth juxtaposition

sunshine Australia shadows silhouette Jacob Gordon perth aus

ES engagement photo shoot in the afternoon sun of Águilas - Spain with some soft Love and horses

sunlight afternoon sun flare horses horse lens flare

Bay Area engagement photoshoot & pre-wedding session from San Francisco with An affectionate kiss in the sun flare

sunshine sunlight lens flare kiss sun flare San Francisco

Wine Country pre wedding portrait session with engaged lovers

afternoon Light kissing lens flare CA Wine Country castle sun flare

Australia pre wedding and engagement photography in Fossil Bluff, Tasmania, Australia of a couple in the long grass bathed in golden hour light

sunshine warm light sunlight sunset lens flare sun flare Ed Jones

AUS engagement photoshoot & pre-wedding session at Inveresk Launceston, Tasmania, Australia of the couple framed by shadows cast by the hard afternoon sun

shadows Ed Jones light Australia Inveresk Launceston Tasmania tasmania engagement

Siena, Tuscany pre-wedding photo session with an engaged couple playing against a sunset skyline

sunlight warm light afternoon sunset sunshine Tuscany

AZ engagement photoshoot & pre-wedding session in Downtown Phoenix with a couple and a sun flare

Colorado engagement photoshoot & pre-wedding session in Downtown Phoenix with a couple and a sun flare

sunshine afternoon sunlight AZ sun flare urban

Colorado pre wedding portrait session with engaged lovers in Vail during autumn

Colorado pre wedding photos Autumn fall trees Vail CO engagement image

Colorado engagement photoshoot & pre-wedding session in Breckenridge, CO with a kiss of winter light

Colorado sunshine snow winter CO engagement images Colorado pre wed photo kissing

Colorado pre wedding and engagement photography catching the last winter light in Breckenridge, CO

sunlight Colorado pre wed photo Colorado cabin CO engagement images mountains sunshine

Rocky Mountains pre-wedding photo session with an engaged couple in Frisco, CO with a couple on one of their Fall walks

Autumn lens flare sunshine sunlight afternoon Light fall sun flare

A Vlaams Brabant wedding photographer captured this Leuven royal entry, 2020 style with COVID masks

Social Distancing covid wedding covid 19 mask masks royal entry sunshine

Vermont outdoor wedding photography in the sunshine at Shelburne Farms during A socially distanced ceremony under an oak tree.

socially distanced ceremony VT Shelburne Farms oak tree vt outdoor wedding photo sunshine

Sofia, Bulgaria Funny portrait from the day of the wedding

A picture taken on the wedding day featuring the bride and groom in front of a yellow building with sunshine and shadows

Bulgaria wedding photographer yellow building smiling couple Bulgaria wedding day shadows Bulgaria Sofia

Africa engagement portrait with a posed couple in interesting light and a shadow geometric composition in Marrakech, Morocco

Morocco Africa light geometric silhouette sunshine marrakech engagement

China wedding photography from inside the car On the way to bride

Liaoning china wedding image men china weddings bride Vuca Zhang flowers

Virginia engagement portrait with a posed couple at the Gulf Branch Park & Nature Center, Arlington, VA showing a Shadow of kiss

silhouette Gulf Branch Park & Nature Center shadows shadow of kiss VA Arlington engagement artistic

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WPJA contest judges have been recognized by their industry peers, winning top awards as staff picture editors, staff photojournalists, and newsroom mentors while working for these and other leading publications and journalism organizations.